No One Lives Forever…Unless You’re Cate Archer, and You’re in a Video Game…Then You Do

I was just rummaging through my closet when I found my old PC copy of No One Lives Forever. Published by Fox Interactive and developed by Monolith Productions in 2000, NOLF quickly became one of my favorite games not only for it’s impressive (at the time) graphics, but the biting wit throughout the game. You play as the lovely cat burglar turned spy Cate Archer, an agent of the UNITY organization with a mandate to keep peace in the world. Just like any peace-loving organization, it has it’s counterpoint, the villainous H.A.R.M. organization, bent on anarchy.

What I loved most about NOLF was that it didn’t take itself too seriously. The gadgets were a hell of a lot of fun; you could spread a little powder on a corpse and watch it vanish before your eyes or use a hair clip that doubled as a lock pick. NOLF 2 featured even funnier gadgets such as a fake kitten that was stuffed with explosives (terrorist thugs have a soft spot for kittens) or a can of hairspray that was in fact a blowtorch. At heart, the game was a spy challenge, so it was ideal to go through the game without drawing attention to yourself, using silenced guns or a coin to distract guards and sneak by.

My question is, why haven’t we seen another game like No One Lives Forever, or it’s sequel No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy in H.A.R.M.’s Way (2002)? Note: I realized there was another release in 2003 of a spin-off title, Contract J.A.C.K., but it wasn’t a good game. You would think the next-gen consoles would have been a breeding ground for a fun new spy title, and the success of NOLF was no secret back in the early 2000s. People loved this game. We have the graphics in the PS3 and Xbox 360, not to mention the PCs gamers can tweak and overclock into oblivion, to make an awesome game like this. We have very serious war games and first person shooters that are bleak. Maybe that’s just what’s in right now, but I miss the colorful settings and wit of the 1960s set NOLF.

What I think should happen is that another big name in gaming (I can’t remember the last game Fox Interactive published, honestly) should buy the rights to this game. Get some of the creative genius from Valve who worked on Portal (some of the funniest writing in gaming history) in order to pack the game with what it’s known for, dossiers lying full of hilarious information relevant in the game and guards standing around talking about nonsense. All in all, throw in everything that was fun in NOLF, pump up the graphics, make the title a funny spin on the new Bond movie title The Quantum of Solace, and you have a hit!

Your thoughts?

Posted by Daniel on 08/14 at 09:24 AM
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